"What are we supposed to do until she gets back?" Drax asked, looking just a little rebellious. "Sit around and do nothing?"

It was clear that he wasn't impressed with that idea.

Nick was the one who had allowed Carol to go and told them not to, so he was the one who answered.

"You can do whatever you want," he replied, calmly. "But you don't wander off the compound grounds and into the general population of the planet. My people don't have aliens among them that they're aware of, and you would cause a panic among them."

"There's plenty to do here," Tony assured them. "If you've been stuck on a space ship for any length of time, the fresh air and a chance to move around will probably do you some good."

"Are they going to cause trouble?" Peter asked Alec, knowing that the ancient sorcerer could read the thoughts of the guardians.

Which was how he knew that they referred to themselves as the guardians of the galaxy in the first place.

"Not on purpose." The voice in his mind was a little amused. "It seems they're almost as good at finding trouble as you are. At least Peter is."

The boy would have rolled his eyes, but they wouldn't have understood the look, so he didn't.

"So we're prisoners?" Drax asked.

"Of course not," Mantis said. "These people don't mean us any harm."

"She's right," Tony agreed, not sure why she sounded so sure of that – despite it being true. "You're not prisoners, here. While we wait to hear what Carol finds out, we can spend time getting to know each other better – and learning more about what Thanos has that he might try bringing against us."

"Countless armies," Gamora said, darkly. "They overrun the populations, slaughtering at random."

"They're a plague," Quill added. "We saw a sampling of it when Ronan attacked Xander."

"Ground troops and air?" Natasha asked.

"Everything," Gamora replied. "They use their numbers to overwhelm and cause panic, and then they swarm."

Tony wasn't the only one who looked troubled by that.

"I think we've seen a sample of it, too," he said. The Avengers around the table all knew he was thinking about the battle of New York. "I don't suppose you have any video or any kind of recordings of some kind so we can see them?"

"We recorded it," Rocket said. "But it ain't pretty."

"They've come here, before?" Gamora asked.

"Someone did," Fury said.

"Which stone were they after?"

"They weren't," Strange said. "Turns out, they had one with them – and apparently didn't even realize it." He looked at Tony. "Think we should check in with Thor? To make sure the Asgardians are alright?"

Stark hesitated and looked at Peter.

"Anything else coming from any of the stones?"

The boy shook his head.

"I don't think so. Nothing serious, like what I was feeling, before, anyway."

"Do you feel them all the time?" Gamora asked, curiously.

"No. Most of the time I don't feel them, at all. Except for the Mind stone, they pretty much ignore me."

"And the Mind stone…?"

He shrugged.

"It's always there. Usually, it just helps me with my homework, if I'm stuck on something."

"You interact with it?"

"Sometimes." Peter hesitated, debating whether or not they should know that it would get into someone's head and share whatever it thought he might need to see, or know, and hedged when Alec suggested they would be uncomfortable knowing that. "It likes me."

"It's a rock," Rocket said. "How does it like anyone?"

Peter shrugged.

"I don't know. It just does."

"Does it hurt?"

"No. Not anymore."

"It used to?"

"Yeah. But not on purpose."

"Let's take a break," Tony suggested. He didn't like the idea of Peter's connection to the stones causing trouble for the boy when they were just beginning to get him stabilized and leveled out, finally. Not to mention he didn't like the newcomers interrogating Peter. He trusted them, but it was Peter, after all. Which meant that he only trusted them to a certain point, so far. "I've been sitting so long that my rear's numb. How about a tour of the compound? You guys can see what we do around here."

Sort of.

Gamora nodded, looking at her companions, who shrugged or nodded their own agreement.

"I could use some exercise," she said.

Stark's rear wasn't the only numb one, really.

Tony nodded, standing up and Rocket and the others did, too. The racoon looked at Groot.

"Hey, Groot. C'mon, let's go look around."

The tree looked up from his game.

"I am groot."

"No, they're going to show us around. Put the game away for a while."

"I am groot?"

Peter smiled.

"Yes, he can come."

The tree sighed – a sound of long-suffering as if he wanted nothing more than to just sit on the couch and play video games all day – and lurched to his feet, carefully reaching up to steady Nutmeg, who was suddenly poofy, again, at the odd motion.

Tony looked at Strange and Wong.

"Coming?"

"I don't need a tour of the compound, Tony," Stephen pointed out, making Natasha smile.

"I'm going to return to the sanctum," Wong said. "If an army attempts to invade our planet, we will want to have proper warning – and the best spells at hand."

"Are you going to mention this to the other sanctums?" Natasha asked, curiously.

Wong looked at Strange, who nodded.

"We can't take Thanos and his army alone," the sorcerer told them. "Even with all of the sanctums combined, we might not be able to keep them off the planet. I'm curious to see what our new friends have to show us."

"We'll wait to talk to them until we have an idea of what we would – potentially – be dealing with, though," Wong added. "No sense in raising an alarm, just yet."

"I'll come, though," Steve said.

Clint stood, as well – not surprisingly – and the group left the lounge, following Tony and Pepper, who were willing to play tour guide. Steve and Clint walked with them, with Clint walking beside Mantis, chatting her up while Steve walked beside Drax, staying close to him as if aware that he was the one that was – potentially – the most erratic and bore having someone close by.

Just in case.

Quill and Gamora were in the front of the small queue, looking around with interest as Tony started giving them a little history of what the Avengers were all about.

Trailing them all were Peter and Groot, holding their own conversation with Nutmeg riding on Groot's head and the Cloak of Levitation hitching a ride on Peter's shoulders.

OOOOOO

Natasha and Fury watched them go, and then both of them turned to the sorcerers.

"Should we be worried about the time stone?" Fury asked, pointedly.

"No. The sanctum could be leveled, and no one could enter the room it's in. Including Peter," Stephen told them. "Two people can get in there – and only five people even know how to find the room, in the first place."

"You. Wong. Peter…" Nick listed, pausing because he didn't know who the other two were."

"Me and Tony," Natasha finished. "And we can't get into the room, either."

"I won't say the sanctum is unassailable," Stephen said. "But it'd be a large bite to chew, if anyone tried."

"Would it be safer to move it someplace a little less… populated?" Fury asked, pointedly. "I don't like the idea of an army going through New York trying to get to the sanctum."

"Wakanda, for instance?" Strange asked.

"That was my first thought. They have that shield – it would probably keep anyone out."

"We'll wait and see what we find out from Carol," Stephen said. "And what their videos show. I'd prefer to keep it where I know it's safe – and not exposed if someone managed to get through the shielding around Wakanda. Technology can be subverted a bit easier than magic."

Romanoff smiled, despite the seriousness of their conversation.

"Don't let Tony hear you say that…"

OOOOOOOOO

"Oh, my Lord…"

Peter smiled, watching as Peter Quill walked over to his Pontiac, his eyes lit up with admiration as he walked around the car, examining it, closely.

"It's a car, right?" Rocket asked. "A land vehicle…"

"No," Quill corrected him, and Tony was amused that out of all the tech that they had to show them in the last hour or so, the most interesting thing Quill had found was in the garage. "This is a masterpiece. Look at the chrome and the ragtop…"

"It is very shiny," Mantis said, confused by the sudden increase in interest that Quill was feeling. "All of the vehicles are…"

"Yeah," Quill ignored all the foreign cars parked in the garage, and even Natasha's sporty Corvette. "But this thing is a classic – even for me." He looked at Tony. "Yours?"

"No." Tony allowed his amusement to show. "That one belongs to Peter."

"No way…" Quill looked at the boy, eyes wide. "Can I drive it?"

"No." The refusal was immediate – and automatic. Peter wasn't about to trust his father's car to someone he didn't know. No matter how impressed he was with the car. Besides, Peter saw the dents on the spaceship. Quill was probably a terrible drive. "I'll take you for a ride, though – if you want."

Quill looked at Tony, who hesitated. Not because Quill wanted to go – and it was clear that he wanted to – but because he didn't want to have aliens driving around the countryside in Peter's convertible. What if they got pulled over? How would they explain the appearances of the others?

"I think that's fine," Pepper said, before Tony could make up his mind. She looked at her son. "If anyone asks, you're going to a sci-fi convention, or something."

"And you don't stop anywhere…" Tony added.

Quill grinned, looking at Peter, expectantly.

"Now?"

Peter shrugged. He looked at Groot.

"You want to come?"

He didn't know what the branches that made Groot might do to his leather seats, but they could probably find something to protect the upholstery.

"I am groot." He reached up and slid a wooden finger along Nutmeg's head, making the kitten purr. "I am groot."

"Okay."

"He's not going?" Tony asked.

"He doesn't want to," Rocket confirmed.

"Neither do I," Gamora agreed. She gave Peter an apologetic look. "I'd rather continue the tour."

"I'll go," Rocket said.

Peter looked at Drax and Mantis, but neither looked all that impressed with the idea and both shook their head. He nodded, looking at Quill.

"Let's go."

"Yes. Shotgun!"

The racoon looked confused, watching as Quill opened the passenger door and got into the car, excitement practically radiating from him.

"We're taking weapons?"

The boy grinned.

"It's a phrase. Come on."

"Drive safe," Tony told him as Peter opened the driver's door, gesturing for Rocket to precede him into the car, and the racoon got into the back. "We'll be in the lounge, most likely, when you get back."

"Alright."

"